January 8, 2011Eating Mindfully

As mindless eaters, we make poor choices about our eating. We eat inattentively, for the wrong purposes, and lack power and control. We eat in response to sadness or stress. This lack of skill with eating causes imbalances, weight concerns and unhappiness.

Mindful eating is very pleasant. We sit beautifully and eat slowly. We are aware of the people that are sitting around us. We are aware of the food on our plates and enjoy the food in ways that make us feel free and delighted.

When we learn to eat mindfully, we correct the imbalances and learn to make good choices naturally. The new skills allow us to recapture and reclaim the joy of food. When you are so closely in touch with what is going on inside, you know the exact moment you are satisfied rather than stuffing or starving yourself.

When we have a healthy relationship to food we bring more happiness to all aspects of our lives. We create an eating environment free of depriving rules and unrealistic expectations.

Mindful eating involves learning to make choices based on awareness of hunger and satiety cues, identifying personal triggers for mindless eating, such as emotions and social pressures.

Mindful eaters value quality over quantity, appreciate the sensual and nourishing, capacity of food, and feel deep gratitude from the food they eat.

Mindfulness helps focus our attention and awareness on the present moment, which in turn, helps to disengage from habitual, unsatisfying and bad habits.

The more distractions you have when you’re eating, the less mindful you are of your meal. Keep the television off, your laptop closed and your smartphone in your pocket. Ask yourself, why you are eating? Are you hungry? Are you tired? Are you bored? Mindful eating is about learning HOW and WHY you eat rather than WHAT you eat.

Choose to accept your body and weight as they are at this moment. Accept that your genetic inheritance influences your body shape and weight. Seek acceptance from within yourself as opposed to seeking it from the outside. Reject the cultural and social messages you receive about weight.

Many people see eating as a chore, rather than something to be enjoyed. They wedge meals into their schedules. They are unaware of two important feelings: hunger and fullness. They are unaware that they may be eating for reasons other than hunger.

Take time to notice the way the food looks, smells, and tastes. Focus on food as energy and nutrition for your body. Eat slowly. Don’t eat straight from bags, cartons, or containers. Don’t skip meals. Pause in the middle of a meal to check in with your body and to assess how hungry or full you are. And, for goodness sake, sit down while you eat.